The electrical connector art has seen the widespread use of insulation displacing connectors. These connectors typically include an insulation displacing contact which makes connection to an insulated conductor by piercing the insulation thereof and making electrical engagement with the conductor.
Insulation displacing electrical connectors are used in many electrical applications. However, in those applications where the connector may be exposed to harsh environments such as outdoors in telecommunications applications or within the engine compartment of an automobile in automotive applications, it may be necessary to seal the point of connection between the insulation displacing contact and the conductor. Gels, lubricants, encapsulants and other sealants have long been used in insulation displacing electrical connectors to seal this connection interface.
One problem that has arisen, for example, in gel filled connectors, is that when a terminated insulated conductor is removed from the connector, the insulation around the conductor displaces or wipes away some of the protective gel from around the insulation displacing contact. Then, when a subsequent termination is desired to the same contact, the displacement of the gel will prevent the subsequent connection from being sealed. This is a particular problem where insulated conductors of different sizes are desired to be successively terminated in the same connector. If, for example, a relatively large insulated conductor is first terminated within the connector, it will displace a certain volume of gel. If upon its removal a smaller insulated conductor is to be terminated by the same contact, the connection interface will be exposed due to the displacement of the gel by the first conductor.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an electrical connector which will permit repeatable sealed insulation displacing terminations of insulated conductors.
It is further desirable to provide an electrical connector which will replace gel displaced by an initial termination, to its original position so that a subsequent termination may be sealed.